Prime Minister John Key today announced that Hekia Parata is to be appointed a Minister in Cabinet.

“Ms Parata takes over the Ethnic Affairs and Women’s Affairs portfolios previously held by Pansy Wong. She will also be Associate Minister for ACC, of Energy and Resources and for the Community and Voluntary Sector,” Mr Key says.

The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service Amendment Bill will update the Act to reflect legal and technological developments made in the past four decades and their impacts on the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS).

“This country’s security legislation needs to be relevant to the global security environment in which the NZSIS operates,” says Mr Key.

The stage I stand on today is a small stage – too small to hold the four million New Zealanders who would like to express their deepest sympathy this afternoon, and show solidarity with this community at the time of its greatest suffering.

But you can rest assured that those four million people are behind you today as they have been since that fateful afternoon almost two weeks ago.

New Zealanders as a whole are not an overly-religious people and are not given to public outbursts of emotion.

Prime Minister John Key has asked that all of New Zealand observes two minutes’ silence at 2pm tomorrow as the Pike River Official Remembrance Service begins.

The service, to remember the 29 men who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine, will be held at the Omoto Racecourse in Greymouth.

Mr Key says, “I hope all of New Zealand will join with those of us at the service and observe two minutes’ silence at 2pm. This tragedy has affected all of us and tomorrow is an opportunity to join together in grief.”

Nine of New Zealand’s brightest executives and managers have been awarded a Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship to study at a leading international institution, Prime Minister John Key announced today.

Mr Key says the recipients will bring back invaluable skills and experience to New Zealand.

Prime Minister John Key announced today that Cabinet has agreed to establish a Royal Commission on the Pike River mine tragedy.

The inquiry will have broad terms of reference enabling it to examine and report on the causes of the explosions at the mine and subsequent loss of life, as well as all aspects of the safety regulatory regime and rescue operations that applied at the mine.

Scientists who have turned world-leading research into a multi-million dollar technology company have won the top award at the Prime Minister's Science Prizes, New Zealand's most prestigious and valuable science awards.

Prime Minister John Key today announced the prizes, which have total prize money of $1 million, at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Clubrooms in Auckland.

The top award, the Prime Minister's Science Prize, went to the Magnetic Resonance Innovation team of Victoria University of Wellington and spin-off company Magritek.

24 November 2010. Prime Minister John Key: "Where this morning we held on to hope, we must now make way for sorrow. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families of these 29 brave men. After days of waiting-of both preparing for the worst and hoping for the best-they have been delivered the cruellest of news. So to all of those who have lost a loved one in the Pike River mine, let me say this: New Zealand stands shoulder to shoulder with you. Though we cannot possibly feel this pain as you do, we have you in our hearts and our thoughts.